Setting the record straight: the true meaning of ‘simplification’ in Sustainability Law

A Practitioner's Note

Abstract

If the previous European Commission (2019–2024) had a governing philosophy, it was the green transition. Under President Ursula von der Leyen, the European Green Deal became the organising principle of EU policymaking, producing landmark measures such as the Fit for 55 package, the Nature Restoration Law, and a new generation of corporate sustainability obligations. During those years, the EU consciously positioned itself as a global leader in environmental and climate governance.